The Athena Election Observatory (AEO) has said that the intra-party crises across the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) are not isolated events but symptoms of a deeper structural problem.

AEO said this on Tuesday when it released its first Political Landscape Monitor Policy Note, Nigeria’s Democracy and the Imperative of Competitive Politics.

According to the report from Athena, the political competition in Nigeria is weakening at an alarming rate.

The report also documents intra-party crises across the ADC, PDP and LP and argues that “these are not isolated events but symptoms of a deeper structural problem: political coordination in Nigeria consistently outpaces the institutional frameworks required to sustain it.”

On the current moment, Athena said recent political developments suggest that the structure of political competition in Nigeria is becoming more fragile and less predictable.

“The leadership dispute within the African Democratic Congress (ADC), shifting alignments following the 2023 general elections, and the growing resort to judicial and regulatory processes to resolve intra-party disagreements all point to a deeper issue: the weakening of institutional clarity in how political competition is organised,” it said.

“These developments are not isolated. Taken together, they reflect a pattern in which political coordination is advancing faster than the institutional frameworks required to sustain it. Alliances are formed, actors reposition, and coalitions emerge, but the rules governing internal party democracy, leadership legitimacy, and dispute resolution remain contested or underdeveloped.

“This disconnect matters. Democracy depends not only on the occurrence of elections, but on the credibility of the choices presented to citizens. Where the structure of competition is unstable, opaque, or overly personalised, the quality of democratic choice is diminished.”

Speaking on the institutions and the architecture of competition, Athena said
that the mere existence of multiple political parties is not enough to guarantee meaningful competition.

It explained that for democracy to function effectively, political parties must operate within clear and predictable institutional frameworks.

AEO said leadership processes must be transparent, internal governance must be credible, and mechanisms for resolving disputes must command legitimacy.

It lamented that recent experience underscores this challenge, and across several parties, internal disagreements have increasingly migrated from party structures to courts and regulatory bodies, raising questions about the strength of internal governance systems and the clarity of party constitutions.

Athena said in the absence of strong internal systems, competition becomes performative rather than substantive.

“Parties may exist, but they do not offer coherent or credible alternatives. Political engagement then shifts from policy and programme to personality, litigation, and tactical manoeuvring,” the report read.

“Equally important is the role of regulatory and judicial institutions. Their actions, particularly in politically sensitive disputes, must be consistent, transparent, and grounded in clearly understood rules.

“Where outcomes appear uncertain or discretionary, public confidence in both the political process and the institutions that oversee it is eroded.

“Political actors must also strengthen the institutions through which they compete. The long-term viability of any party or coalition depends not only on its ability to mobilise support, but on its capacity to build internal systems that can endure beyond individual actors.”

The report examines the roles of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the judiciary, calling on both institutions to operate with greater clarity, consistency, and restraint in politically sensitive disputes.

In conclusion, Athena said strengthening the institutional foundations of political competition is not a partisan objective, it is a constitutional and democratic imperative.

“In the context of Nigeria’s 2027 electoral cycle, attention must extend beyond electoral events to the institutional conditions that underpin political competition,” the report read.

“Where those conditions are weak, contested, or opaque, democratic legitimacy suffers. Where they are clear, stable, and credible, competition becomes meaningful and elections become consequential.

“Protecting the integrity of political competition is therefore not a partisan cause. It is a constitutional and democratic imperative.”

It added that the Political Landscape Monitor will publish regular policy notes tracking Nigeria’s political and electoral environment through 2027 and beyond, with the full Policy Note available at: bit.ly/4dzcFGD.